Recent Review: Came out to give estimate on the same day we requested a quote and was on time for the estimate. We had thought we wanted additional batt insulation, but Jose explained that the blown-in fiberglass would give better coverage in tight areas of the attic at lower cost. The original quote was $800 for an R-30 value of insulation. The estimate was very low key and I didn't feel any pressure to commit. When we got another estimate from a different company (which gave us a pretty hard sell), the recommendation from that company was to install an R-38 value, but the quote was substantially higher ($1440 for R-30, $1520 for R-38) so we decided to get a quote from Jose for the higher R-value. He gave us a quote of $960 over the phone (and also answered some follow-up questions we had) and we set up an appointment for the following Monday, which my husband had off from work. The two-person team arrived on time for the installation, and carried out the installation quickly and without a mess. My husband forgot to ask for a cost breakdown between labor and materials for the federal tax credit before Jose left and when he called with the request Jose volunteered to bring it by the following day. Overall we couldn't be happier with the work and we're looking forward to much lower heating and air conditioning bills.

Recent Review: This company was such a good pick from Angie's list. The owner came out to provide the quote. He was punctual, knowledgable and professional. He explained specifically what the quote entailed and answered every question very thoroughly. On the day of the install, he and a crew member arrived on time and went straight to work. Afterwards, they did all the cleanup and confirmed that we were satisfied. I would use them again!

Recent Review: It went extremely well. Mark, the owner, was part of the 2-man crew. He gave us a 10% senior discount, and then added an additional discount for scheduling the insulation on a day when one of his 2 crews was not already scheduled for a job. The installation was neat and tidy, and they cleaned up well afterward.

Recent Review: I should begin this review by stating I don?t normally write reviews. I believe good service should be a given; however ever so often a company goes so far above and beyond that I feel the need to tell others. That has happened with CECS. My wife and I bought our home in November of 2013, and immediately realized it needed some help. It was so cold in the bedrooms that we purchased space heaters for night. Apparently when our house was built in 1958 insulation in the walls was an upgrade, and we had none. Plus, the siding was deteriorating, and the drafts were terrible. Fast forward a couple months, and my wife and I were walking through the Sacramento home show. We met Bryan Gore from Cal Energy Consultant Service, who was engaging and knowledgeable with all aspects of home improvement. During our meeting with Bryan, he told us about the Energy Upgrade California program, which provides rebates for energy upgrades performed on your home. Bryan thoroughly explained the testing processes, and told us we would be an ideal candidate for the program due to the age/condition of our home. When we had the initial test-in, I knew the results would be bad. How bad, however, was a little shocking. Our AC ducts were leaking at almost 65%, and the air infiltration was through the roof. After the test, we sat down with Bryan again to discuss the options for our house. He explained that we would see the biggest gains from installing new AC ducts, air-sealing the attic, blowing in new attic insulation, and installing insulation when we re-sided the house. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant at first. The costs were fairly high, and I was concerned with the idea of using sub-contractors. To me, sub-contractor often means sub-standard. However, that couldn't have been further from the truth. The HVAC contractor, the insulation guy, and the siding team were all extremely knowledgeable, professional, and willing to work with me on timing due to other projects I was working on around the house. Now that the work is done, I honestly can?t believe the changes in my home. We installed a whole house fan with the other upgrades, and it is amazing how little we turn on the AC. Earlier in the summer the AC would be on by 10am. Now we will often not use the AC until 2 or later. In fact, we had no AC usage for the last two weeks in September. In Sacramento. We had the test-out performed, and our building leakage dropped from 3400 CFMs to 1875, and the HVAC duct leakage dropped from 64% to 5%. Plus, we received rebates from SMUD and PG&E to cover almost 25% of the cost! I can?t thank CECS, Bryan Gore, and all of their sub-contractors enough!

Reviews in Rio Vista to Install Batt Insulation

…

FGuardian Insulation

Absolutely terrible. I am a first time home owner so I learned some good lessons here. Guardian Insulation was the epitome of unprofessional and rude with atrocious work quality. Took 2 no-shows, ill-prepared workcrew and several weeks of enduring written abuse from the owner of the company before I had my work finished and although it will likely perform the job I need it to, it looks like a bunch of middle schoolers went wild with a staple gun and insulation. Shame on Angie's list for recommending this company but more importantly for charging for an Attic Inspection! I had two other companies come do it for free, no questions asked. The attic hatch seal was the tech stapling dollar foam stripping around the hatch...for $69??? Angie's List is ripping off their customers, plain and simple. The only reason I went with Guardian at all was a personal phonecall from the owner, which I now know could not have been more insincere, promising me immaculate work at a heavily discounted price if I could give them a second chance. My mistake. Corporate is in LA and they use poorly trained and equipped (had to borrow my ladder, broom and other clean up equipment) sub contractors to do work in satellite cities. Epic fail for Guardian Insulation and Angie's List but they both got me $$ so I guess I'm the fool. Live and learn!

- Zachary B....

ARUIZ INSULATION

Came out to give estimate on the same day we requested a quote and was on time for the estimate. We had thought we wanted additional batt insulation, but Jose explained that the blown-in fiberglass would give better coverage in tight areas of the attic at lower cost. The original quote was $800 for an R-30 value of insulation. The estimate was very low key and I didn't feel any pressure to commit. When we got another estimate from a different company (which gave us a pretty hard sell), the recommendation from that company was to install an R-38 value, but the quote was substantially higher ($1440 for R-30, $1520 for R-38) so we decided to get a quote from Jose for the higher R-value. He gave us a quote of $960 over the phone (and also answered some follow-up questions we had) and we set up an appointment for the following Monday, which my husband had off from work. The two-person team arrived on time for the installation, and carried out the installation quickly and without a mess. My husband forgot to ask for a cost breakdown between labor and materials for the federal tax credit before Jose left and when he called with the request Jose volunteered to bring it by the following day. Overall we couldn't be happier with the work and we're looking forward to much lower heating and air conditioning bills.

- Melissa N....

AThe Insulation Pros

This company was such a good pick from Angie's list. The owner came out to provide the quote. He was punctual, knowledgable and professional. He explained specifically what the quote entailed and answered every question very thoroughly. On the day of the install, he and a crew member arrived on time and went straight to work. Afterwards, they did all the cleanup and confirmed that we were satisfied. I would use them again!

- Lisa M....

AAffordable Insulation

It went extremely well. Mark, the owner, was part of the 2-man crew. He gave us a 10% senior discount, and then added an additional discount for scheduling the insulation on a day when one of his 2 crews was not already scheduled for a job. The installation was neat and tidy, and they cleaned up well afterward.

- Greg R....

ACalifornia Energy Consultant Service

I should begin this review by stating I don?t normally write reviews. I believe good service should be a given; however ever so often a company goes so far above and beyond that I feel the need to tell others. That has happened with CECS. My wife and I bought our home in November of 2013, and immediately realized it needed some help. It was so cold in the bedrooms that we purchased space heaters for night. Apparently when our house was built in 1958 insulation in the walls was an upgrade, and we had none. Plus, the siding was deteriorating, and the drafts were terrible. Fast forward a couple months, and my wife and I were walking through the Sacramento home show. We met Bryan Gore from Cal Energy Consultant Service, who was engaging and knowledgeable with all aspects of home improvement. During our meeting with Bryan, he told us about the Energy Upgrade California program, which provides rebates for energy upgrades performed on your home. Bryan thoroughly explained the testing processes, and told us we would be an ideal candidate for the program due to the age/condition of our home. When we had the initial test-in, I knew the results would be bad. How bad, however, was a little shocking. Our AC ducts were leaking at almost 65%, and the air infiltration was through the roof. After the test, we sat down with Bryan again to discuss the options for our house. He explained that we would see the biggest gains from installing new AC ducts, air-sealing the attic, blowing in new attic insulation, and installing insulation when we re-sided the house. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant at first. The costs were fairly high, and I was concerned with the idea of using sub-contractors. To me, sub-contractor often means sub-standard. However, that couldn't have been further from the truth. The HVAC contractor, the insulation guy, and the siding team were all extremely knowledgeable, professional, and willing to work with me on timing due to other projects I was working on around the house. Now that the work is done, I honestly can?t believe the changes in my home. We installed a whole house fan with the other upgrades, and it is amazing how little we turn on the AC. Earlier in the summer the AC would be on by 10am. Now we will often not use the AC until 2 or later. In fact, we had no AC usage for the last two weeks in September. In Sacramento. We had the test-out performed, and our building leakage dropped from 3400 CFMs to 1875, and the HVAC duct leakage dropped from 64% to 5%. Plus, we received rebates from SMUD and PG&E to cover almost 25% of the cost! I can?t thank CECS, Bryan Gore, and all of their sub-contractors enough!

- Grace Z....

AEcoAttics Energy Saving Solutions

Their service was very good. They were easy to work with. They were very helpful and professional as well.

- Ken C....

BCalifornia Energy Consultant Service

Could, and should have been better. Subcontractors: HVAC--Placer Heating and Air Insulation--Gold Star Windows--mostly in-house. Lessons learned: 1. Put everything in writing--no verbals or phone call contractual or post-contractual agreements. Use email for documentation after the contract is signed. 2. Hold back final monies until all work is done. 3. Do not rush the work or allow the contractor to rush the work. 4. If it's in the contract, insist on it and withhold payment until it's done. 5. All parts are the contractor's responsibility. 6. Inspect all work before the next phase, distribute a punch list, and don't approve and/or pay until you are satisfied. 7. Ignore suggestions that faulty equipment is due to the customer's lack of understanding. Contact the manufacturer if something doesn't seem right. 8. Insist on good quality finish work. 9. Insist that all materials be as specified in the contract or standard (check the standards when in doubt). 10. Be wary of companies that subcontract HVAC. 11. Make sure all work is permitted; read permits carefully; flag errors. 12. Check model and serial numbers in contract with manufacturer's website to ensure the grade/series you are paying for is physically the same. July 7-9 Contract was signed on June 25, 2015. Work started July 7 and continued for three days total. Old HVAC equipment was removed, ducts removed, some insulation removed, new HVAC equipment installed, new thermostat installed. Insulation removal said to be complete. Problems: ?Subcontractors both stated that insulation was completely removed when it was not (twice). ?HVAC sub and contractor implied homeowner was incapable of operating new wifi thermostat. Three wifi thermostats malfunctioned, leading homeowner to contact manufacturer's rep to resolve the problem. They advised another thermostat that did not read the wall temperature rather than the air temperature. ?Apprentice attempted to obtain side work replacing air registers. ?HVAC sub tried to get homeowner to buy control parts for whole house fan installation. ?HVAC sub dragged feet and stalled on doing contractual work on water heater. Homeowner had verbal agreement with contractor's sales rep to install in two steps; contractor denied agreement. Homeowner removed it from contract by mutual agreement. ?New intake return cutout cut beyond boundary into ceiling. July 15 Windows installed 8am to 3pm More insulation removed. Problems: ?Wrong windows ordered; only two could be installed. July 22 Punch list and connect whole house fan to controls Problems: ?Whole house fan motor burned out on install; wired incorrectly. ?Ceiling fixture not reinstalled properly. July 27 Remaining windows and patio door installed. More insulation removed. Problems: Window trim not caulked on outside. Some trim cuts not even with other pieces. Windows not cleaned after install. One piece of original trim recycled instead of replaced. Homeowner paid contractor paid about 2/3 of the contractual amount. The rest held until all work completed. through end of July, August, September Punch list work completed on windows, HVAC. Thermostat replaced. Whole fan wired correctly to dedicated circuit. Whole house fan hanging location shifting to optimum location. Duct work straightened. Damper installed on one duct to balance air. Insulation was blown 8/27/15. Problems: ?Heat pump cycling on for 30 seconds accompanied by buzzing noise that gets louder. ?Whole house fan not permitted. ?HVAC sub scheduled to work but did not show up; on another day, sub called several times but never showed Test out, code inspection Test out performed 9/15/15, Code inspection 9/22/15 and re-inspected for whole house fan permit failure on 9/30/15. Problems: ?Test out failed on air leakage. Did not meet SMUD HPP specifications. Rebate not available. Contractor offers to refund the difference. ?HVAC and window work passed inspection, but whole house fan was never permitted. Contractor pulled the permit, provided hard copy, inspector reinspected on 9/30/15. SMUD rebate preparation Contractor prepares JRT (job reporting template) for SMUD HPP and sends to homeowner for review. (9/18) Contractor prepares SMUD rebate application for homeowner (9/24) Problems: Some calculations incorrect on the JRT. Contractor resolved. Some rebates changed in the four months the contract work spanned. Contractor made up differences. Final Payment Homeowner made final payment on 9/30/15. SMUD rebate receipt Homeowner receives rebate check from SMUD on 11/5/15. Problems: Total $150 short of JRT. Inquiries with SMUD revealed that contractor revised JRT after last version was sent to homeowner. The latest JRT did not include the whole house fan in the project. Homeowner not informed. SMUD made arrangements to rebate the whole house fan. Takeaways: Sales rep made a good professional, technical, and personal impression without hard sell or scare tactics. One issue with verbal agreement. Scheduler at the contractor very responsive, efficient, and flexible. HVAC sub skilled, but sometimes unreliable and choice of apprentices unwise--made a bad impression of the company. Window snafu annoying. Too much homeowner time spent on this contract: over ten days of visits, two no-shows, two code inspections, one test out. Too many emails to count. Final rebate prep never shared with homeowner. Test out failed air leakage test.